Cytoprotective role of pyruvate in mitigating abiotic stress response in Arabidopsis thaliana

Pyruvate is a central metabolite in cellular respiration and metabolism. It can neutralize reactive oxygen species (ROS), safeguard mitochondrial membrane potential, and regulate gene expression under oxidative stress. However, its role in abiotic stress tolerance in plants needs to be explored. Therefore, the current study investigated the role of pyruvate and its metabolism in response to different abiotic stresses in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We retrieved transcript profiling data for pyruvate metabolism and transportation genes (D-LDH, AlaAT, PK, MPC, PDC, PDH, NAD-ME) from public databases. The study’s findings indicate that these genes’ expression is regulated in response to different abiotic stresses. Moreover, the promoter region of these genes contained multiple cis-acting elements like ABRE, ARE, P-box, and MBS, which are associated with plants' abiotic stress response. Furthermore, colorimetric analysis showed higher pyruvate content under different abiotic stresses. Therefore, exogenous pyruvate treatment was given before and after different abiotic stresses, which could combat the toxicity of pro-oxidant molecules by pyruvate intake. The semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that exogenous pyruvate treatment enhances the expression of important transcription factors WRKY2, GH3.3, DREB2A, and bZIP1, and stress-responsive genes e.g., APX1, ERD5, ADC2, and HSP70 in addition to abiotic stresses. Moreover, Arabidopsis plants pre-treated with pyruvate before oxidative stress showed less RBOHD expression. Additionally, pyruvate's cytoprotective role was compared to other well-known antioxidants such as NAC, Trolox, and GSH. Finally, untargeted GC-MS/MS analysis of abiotic stress-treated Arabidopsis plants showed a higher metabolite level of β-hydroxy-pyruvic acid, indicating the crucial role of pyruvate during abiotic stress.